Thanks to Rajendra and Sangey from www.mountainsunvalley.com for making this trip happen for me! It was an adventure! I did this trip alone with my Nepali friends, I would not have done it any other way.

Every time I came to Kathmandu, this man sold me some small things. He was super nice. he died in 2015 and now his son sells the same trinkets from he same box in the same spot. Life is hard in Kathmandu.

The streets of Kathmandu

Jannu Peak from Ilam - the spectacular Kangchendzonga massif

Kangchendzonga 1, 2 and 3 from Ilam. We are not even close to the start point and the mountain already looks HUGE. It is the third highest mountain in the world after Everest and K2.

En route to the BC - we got caught up in an outer band of a big cyclone in the Bay of Bengal.

Rain and leeches. But during brief breaks from the rain, spectacular views.

Misty and wet. Walking through the tropical forest.

an old man enjoying his Tumba - a traditional beer-like drink served in the wooden tumblers.

Having a good time in the teahouse. Sangey, the tea house owner and Kam. There were only 3 of us on this trip.

Taking a break in the farmer’s hut. Sangey ate some cheese here and got quite ill.

More rain. After a few days of constant rain, we started to loose hope that we would see the sun again.

Porters working for another group. This is a typical sleeping quarters for the porters.

Kangchendzonga South BC - surprisingly I was the only guest.

Sangey and I exploring the upper Yalung Glacier

South face of Kangchendzonga after the snow storm. The same storm dumped a few feet of snow on the North side stranding people for days. Due to the lower elevation of our approach trail, we experienced only the rain.

Hiking above the base camp to above 5,000m

The view from the pass connecting the south and north side of the Kangchendzonga trek.

The pass is not very high but the views are spectacular!

Hanging out with the porters.

In Gunsa

Jannu north face - what a view!

Jannu Peak - hiking above the valley and exploring the area.

Lower Kangchendzonga Glacier.

Our small team.

Kangchendzonga north side - a Spanish trekker took this photo of me and emailed it to me after the trip.

Returning from Pangpema

The view from Dromo Ri above Pangpema

On Dromo Ri above Pangpema

Child porters

Preparing the pig for butchering - it is quite a process to see a pig killed by a bamboo stake. I could not eat it after it was cooked.